Care

I really identified with Michelle in this article, to the point tears started to flow into my eyes. When I was in my practicum room for SPED 300 and FNED 346 I would bring snack everyday for my kiddos. I noticed that I would have kids so hungry even after they had breakfast that they would be very hangry. We would have time during centers where they could munch on some pretzels while working on their work and automatically the classroom staff saw a decrease of behaviors and even an increase in focus. Sometimes kids are not misbehaving because they want to make your day worse, but it is because they have a need that is not met.

Personally at my internship I have control over the culture I create in my program. For example, I was working in an urban environment and had a child specifically come very cranky each week. He would cry and scream when it was time to leave though. It ended up that they were living in their car and he did not want to go back to the car after class was finished. I was able to work with the family and connect them to a local shelter where they were able to stay for a bit while the mom finished up job training. They now have their own apartment. I am extremely blessed to be able to have freedom in caring for my students and their families, and I have support from my boss in whatever I do.